*Air: Please note that airfares are not included in the prices above. Trafalgar guarantees to quote you the lowest possible airfare available to us on the day that you book.

This trip is operated in conjunction with our sister company and South Pacific Specialists - AAT Kings.

If these dates don't suit you, this itinerary is also available in reverse. See Southern Spectacular - code ZCQR.

Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discount. Discounts are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice.

Trip prices are correct at the time of the products going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. All trip information is correct at time of trips going live, however are subject to change - please confirm all details at time of booking.

Twin-share option not available for trips to South America, Costa Rica, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii or for any holiday & cruise combination, or in Asia and Eastern Mediterranean except Highlights of Turkey (without cruise) & Best of Turkey. It's also not available on Small Group trips. Guided Vacations included in this restriction are Newfoundland and Labrador (DNLA) as well as Panama, the Canal & Beyond (LPAN).

For trips that are part of our Guaranteed Room Share, please note that there is a no smoking policy in all shared rooms. Solo travel is not accepted on guided Family Experiences holidays unless travelling as part of a family group.

*Air: Please note that airfares are not included in the prices above. Trafalgar guarantees to quote you the lowest possible airfare available to us on the day that you book.

This trip is operated in conjunction with our sister company and South Pacific Specialists - AAT Kings.

If these dates don't suit you, this itinerary is also available in reverse. See Southern Spectacular - code ZCQR.

Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discount. Discounts are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice.

Trip prices are correct at the time of the products going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. All trip information is correct at time of trips going live, however are subject to change - please confirm all details at time of booking.

Twin-share option not available for trips to South America, Costa Rica, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii or for any holiday & cruise combination, or in Asia and Eastern Mediterranean except Highlights of Turkey (without cruise) & Best of Turkey. It's also not available on Small Group trips. Guided Vacations included in this restriction are Newfoundland and Labrador (DNLA) as well as Panama, the Canal & Beyond (LPAN).

For trips that are part of our Guaranteed Room Share, please note that there is a no smoking policy in all shared rooms. Solo travel is not accepted on guided Family Experiences holidays unless travelling as part of a family group.

Date & Price Updated

Please note, the itinerary, meals and highlights may have changed as a result of selecting a new date.

Please check these again before booking this date.

About this trip

The sights and sounds of the South take centre stage on this sojourn through the Pancake Rocks and Blow Holes of Punakaiki and on to the picture-perfect Tasman Sea. Tuck into a taste of country life with the Taylors, board the TranzAlpine train and cruise the tranquil waters of the Milford Sound.

Welcome to Christchurch, New Zealand's Garden City. Flights can arrive any time prior to 4pm and you will be transferred from the airport to your Christchurch hotel. After you check-in, you may wish to stretch your legs and take a walk around Cathedral Square or visit the Re:Start Mall. This evening, meet your fellow passengers and Travel Director at a Welcome Reception and then enjoy dinner together at your hotel.

Hotel

Novotel

Meals

Welcome Reception

Dinner

Hotel

Novotel

Meals

Welcome Reception

Dinner

Day 1

Day 2

Christchurch - PunakaikiDay 2 - Christchurch - Punakaiki

First up this morning you will board the TranzAlpine train and head out through the Southern Alps to Arthurs Pass. This spectacular train journey dates back to 1914, and is rated as one of the world's most scenic train trips. The train forges through tunnels and over viaducts with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. Then, journey up the West Coast to Punakaiki, where you'll view the Pancake Rocks and blow holes. Tonight dinner with wine is at your hotel, then fall asleep to the sound of the surf crashing on the beach, as we overnight in our eco-friendly resort.

Hotel

Punakaiki Resort

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Hotel

Punakaiki Resort

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Day 2

Day 3

Punakaiki - Franz JosefDay 3 - Punakaiki - Franz Josef

This morning travel down the West Coast to Hokitika. As well as being one of the few West Coast communities to embrace its coastal landscape, Hokitika struck it rich in the resources stakes. Here you will visit a pounamu factory (native greenstone or jade), for the chance to see a Local Specialist at work creating intricate pieces of jewellery and art. Maori tradition says it is bad luck to buy pounamu for yourself, so if you fancy a trinket of your own, make sure you have someone there to purchase it for you. Your final destination for today is the extraordinary rivers of ice that make up Franz Josef Glacier. You may want to get up close and personal with the glaciers on an Optional Experience helicopter flight. Your flight will hover over the snow face, and may land high up in the valley so that you can walk across the ice fall - subject to weather conditions. Tonight, enjoy dinner at your hotel.

If weather conditions are unfavourable on Day 3, you will get another chance to fly up to the glaciers this morning. If you aren't flying, you might want to take a stroll through the small but lively Franz Josef village. Then you will head out of Franz following an ancient greenstone trail. View the sheer drop of Thunder Creek Falls and the grand sight of Mt Hooker, flanked on three sides by extensive glaciers. Travel over Haast Pass, marking a change from the rainforest marvel of the wild West Coast to the alpine scenery of the Southern Lakes. From here you will travel further into Central Otago and view Lake Wanaka, where the shoreline is charmingly lined by poplars and willows, followed by the vivid blue waters of Lake Hawea. It is a day of gorgeous lakes, as after Hawea you will travel over to Cromwell, situated next to the sparkling pristine waters of Lake Dunstan. Stop in at a local orchard for a taste of some of the town's delicious stone fruit. Later, you will stop and visit the faithfully restored gold mining settlement of Arrowtown. As you amble down the beautiful tree-lined avenues, past the 19th century wooden buildings, you will feel like you have stepped into a movie set. Then it's on to Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand!

Hotel

Millennium

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Hotel

Millennium

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Day 4

Day 5

Queenstown SightseeingDay 5 - Queenstown Sightseeing

Today your choice of sightseeing: ride the Shotover Jet boat; take a gondola to Bob's Peak to the Skyline Restaurant for dinner; take a 4WD minibus excursion through Skippers Canyon; visit Kiwi Birdlife Park or journey deep into the mountains to Mt. Nicholas High Country Farm for lunch. This evening cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard New Zealand's oldest steamship, the TSS Earnslaw, to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue Regional Meal at the Colonel's Homestead. An entertaining farm show provides a glimpse into high-country farm life. Afterwards, return to Queenstown to sample the festive nightlife.

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Regional Meal

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Regional Meal

Day 5

Day 6

Queenstown - Te AnauDay 6 - Queenstown - Te Anau

Today is one of those days where you will want to have your camera battery charged, and ready to go. And you will probably want to have a spare battery or two on hand… just in case. From the beautiful sights of Queenstown, you will travel out to the spectacular scenes of Milford Sound. You will stop at Mirror Lakes where, as the name suggests, you can see the stunning mountain scenery perfectly reflected in the waters of the lakes. Then on to the Homer Tunnel, man's attempt to master the sheer rocky ranges, still left rough-hewn around the edges. As you emerge out the other side of the tunnel, you are presented with one of the world's most dramatic alpine drives, down through the Cleddau Valley. You will have a stop at the Chasm, where the roaring Cleddau River has carved its way through solid rock, and then it's on to Milford Sound, where you will cruise the waters of this natural wonder. Your cruise meanders down the sound, taking in the Bowen and Stirling Falls as these plummet from glacial hanging valleys sharply into the sea, and the sheer pinnacle of Mitre Peak, rising from the deep waters of the fiord. After leaving Milford Sound, you will journey through the Fiordland National Park and out to Te Anau on one of the most scenic roads you could hope for. Travel through native rainforests, beech forests, alluvial flats and meadows. This evening after dinner with wine at your hotel you may consider an Optional Experience out across the lake to visit the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves.

Hotel

Distinction

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Hotel

Distinction

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Day 6

Day 7

Te Anau - DunedinDay 7 - Te Anau - Dunedin

You may want to take an early morning walk along the shoreline of the South Island's biggest lake, before you depart the township of Te Anau this morning. The heavily forested, rugged mountains of Fiordland National Park turn into rolling, grassy hills as you meander your way down to the city of Dunedin. Dunedin, also known as the Edinburgh of the South, has strong connections to its northern hemisphere sister city, even down to sharing many of the same street names - so take a wander down George Street, noting Dunedin's Scottish ancestry. Today your choice of sightseeing: tour Larnach Castle; ride the Taieri Gorge Railway; take the Monarch Wildlife Cruise to see the Penguins and the Royal Albatross or experience an interactive tour of Speight's Brewery. Later, travel across rich fertile sheep-filled farming land to Te Anau, on the shores of Lake Te Anau, the South Island's largest lake. Tonight, enjoy dinner with wine at your hotel.

Hotel

Scenic Southern Cross

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Hotel

Scenic Southern Cross

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Day 7

Day 8

Dunedin - TwizelDay 8 - Dunedin - Twizel

This morning you have some free time in Dunedin. You may wish to roam around the beautiful grounds of New Zealand's first university, Otago. From Dunedin you will then travel through to the township of Oamaru, with its stately tree-lined streets and its famous white limestone buildings. As well as shipping limestone to the bigger cities of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin for construction of their Town Halls and various churches, Oamaru locals made sure that their own town represented the best in limestone building the mid-late 1800s had to offer. Then you will journey along the Waitaki River, for a photo stop at the Waitaki Hydro Power Scheme and Benmore Dam. The Waitaki River marks the boundary between the regions of Canterbury and Otago, and with its large catchment it is an ideal source of hydro-electric power. Your day finishes in the heart of the Mackenzie Country at Twizel.

Hotel

MacKenzie Country Inn

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Hotel

MacKenzie Country Inn

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Dinner with wine

Day 8

Day 9

Twizel - ChristchurchDay 9 - Twizel - Christchurch

You may wish to take an Optional Experience this morning. Take in Mount Cook National Park from the air on a scenic flight out over New Zealand's highest peak, the Southern Alps and on to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Sweeping views across the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo framed by a backdrop of rugged hills and snow-capped mountains provide stunning alpine photography opportunities. Later, you will visit the little stone-hewn Church of the Good Shepherd, and stop for a quick photo with the bronze statue of a collie dog, the touching tribute to the sheepdogs which helped develop the Mackenzie Country. Join us at a Be My Guest barbecue at Morelea Farm, a typical working sheep farm, where you'll get a taste of traditional New Zealand country life. You'll be welcomed into the home of Angie and Stan Taylor and their 600 acre garden. You'll have the chance to experience sheep shearing and farming demonstrations before enjoying a BBQ lunch, and wait until you try Angie's famous pavlova dessert! Listen to the family's story of growing up in rural New Zealand and their challenges of farming in the foothills of New Zealand's Southern Alps. This afternoon head through the South Canterbury country towns of Fairlie and Geraldine and out over the patchwork countryside of the Canterbury Plains into Christchurch. Enjoy a city sights tour and see how Christchurch is rebuilding after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Pop into the Transitional Cathedral in Latimer Square, the temporary home of the Christchurch Cathedral. It is the world's only cathedral made substantially of cardboard! Tonight, speak with your Travel Director about dining recommendations in Christchurch's inner city.

Hotel

Novotel

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Be My Guest Dining

Hotel

Novotel

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Be My Guest Dining

Day 9

Day 10

Depart ChristchurchDay 10 - Depart Christchurch

Bid farewell to your fellow travellers when your holiday concludes this morning after breakfast. You will be transferred to Christchurch Airport for your onward flight (flights anytime).

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Meals

Buffet Breakfast

Day 10

Available Departures

Please see http://www.trafalgar.com:80/gsa/tours/southern-panorama for the latest discounts & departure information.

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Guest Reviews and Ratings

Service rating : It was a great tour with a wonderful guide. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and have no complaints. We would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see as much of the South Island as they can in 10 days.Product : As I said this was a great tour with a wonderful guide. We